By the force of her passion, Butheina has turned what was once a makeshift pop-up theatre into the preeminent arthouse cinema in the UAE with permanent home in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue. If Cinema Akil were a person, she told Time Out, it would be the flamboyant, original and fearless British designer Vivienne Westwood. With the attention has come more exclusive films and a reputation as the key destination for cinephiles in UAE with sold-out tickets for most of their films.